Oliver McCrum Wines has been importing small production Italian wine and distributing to fine retail and restaurant establishes throughout California since 1994. Over time, our portfolio of producers has steadily grown to over 45 producers from 15 different regions of Italy. We look for typical Italian wines with clarity and freshness, usually made from indigenous Italian grape varieties using clean, transparent winemaking techniques and no obvious use of oak.

Cinncinato

Well-run co-operative wineries can be an excellent source of high-quality, inexpensive wines, and the Cincinnato winery, founded in 1947 and named after the ancient Roman senator and farmer Cincinnatus, is a perfect example. This small co-operative (126 growers, with a total of 250 hectares of vines), located an hour south-east of Rome near the town of Cori, uses native grape varieties such as Bellone and Nero Buono to produce flavorful, distinctive, well-made wines at very tempting prices. Finding great wines at higher prices is easy, but finding wines this good at these prices is difficult and very satisfying. The soils here are reddish volcanic clays, found at between 100-250 meters above sea level. The growers will be certified organic by the 2019 harvest, and grape quality is encouraged with a strict set of parameters.

Cincinnato ‘Brut’

Made entirely of Bellone, harvested on the early side to retain acidity. Normal primary fermentation with no malolactic, then a Charmat process second (sparkling wine) fermentation. Fairly dry, with a clean, bright aroma and palate impression, and clear citrus notes.

Bellone ‘…is an outstanding grape variety, one of the best in Italy today…The wine has a telltale luscious texture and juicy acidity…and delightful honeyed, citrus, and tropical fruit aromas and flavors.’ (Ian d’Agata, Native Wine Grapes of Italy)

Cincinnato Bellone ‘Castore’

‘Bright straw. Vivid aromas of apple, pear and nectarine complicated by botanical herbs. Then more fruit cocktail-like flavors in the mouth lifted by bright harmonious acidity. Finishes very long and fresh; this juicy, lively, fruity white is just about perfect as a picnic or Sunday brunch wine, but boasts sneaky complexity and concentration’. (Ian d’Agata, Vinous). 100% Bellone, fermented and aged in stainless steel, no malo-lactic fermentation, bottled in the spring following the vintage.

Bellone ‘…is an outstanding grape variety, one of the best in Italy today…The wine has a telltale luscious texture and juicy acidity…and delightful honeyed, citrus, and tropical fruit aromas and flavors.’ (Ian d’Agata, Native Wine Grapes of Italy)

‘Nero Buono ‘Pollùce’

‘Dark purple. Woodsy underbrush-dominated aromas of blackberry and soy sauce, with a bright violet topnote adding complexity. Then lively, crisp and juicy, with a strong mineral underpinning to the floral dark berry and Oriental spice flavors. Long suave and clean, this is an outstanding example of a Nero Buono wine.’ Ian d’Agata, Vinous’

This wine is made entirely of Nero Buono, fermented and aged in stainless steel, with about 10 days on the skins. This kind of savory, mid-weight red is a very versatile table wine; the aromas and flavors here are distinctive, slightly herbal in a Cabernet Franc kind of way, and very drinkable.

‘Nero Buono (which means ‘good black grape’) can be the source of excellent, midweight wines. Legend holds that it was brought to the area of Cori, immediately southwest of Rome, by Cincinnato, the ancient Roman senator and farmer…There is no hard proof of this to my knowledge, though they beg to differ at the local, very high-quality wine co-operative named after Cincinnato…A good Nero Buono wine is grapey and vinous, light to medium bodied, with juicy black fruit and pleasant fresh herb aromas and flavors.’